FPE Impetus AU: Grading

Engel awakes. Before he leaves his house, he looks back.

Engel: “Bye Mom.”

His mother doesn’t respond, yet the disgust on her face is evident.

Engel gets to school, but a surprise awaits him at the first steps.

Bubble: “Engel?”

Engel: “Hey Bubble.”

Bubble: “Are you okay? How’s your eye?”

Engel: “It’ll heal in a year.”

Bubble: “That’s great! *Bubble looks away* Hey, are you sure you’re doing okay after... what you saw yesterday?”

Engel: ... “I - I ... I’ll be fine.”

Bubble: “‘Fine?’ This isn’t like an injury. You’re not gonna be able to rest something like that off. Are you really feeling well?”

Engel: “I just wanna focus on something else. I’ll think about this eventually, but moping right now is just gonna distract me from my work. And you know what’ll happen to me then.”

Bubble looks disappointed. Engel prepares to apologize but is cut off.

Bubble: “Alright, fine. Let’s just get to class.”

Bubble and Engel enter Miss Circle’s class and get in their seats.

Oliver/Katie (Sarcastically): “Well. Are last two losers feeling better. It must have been really difficult to get out of those oceans of tears.”

Engel and Bubble shoot glares at Oliver/Katie and Zip, but they try their best to ignore them. The class progresses normally, each student passing their assignments. As the Bell rings, Miss Circle says something.

Miss Circle: “Engel, stay after class!”

The rest of the class progresses as usual. Everyone leaves the class except Engel and Miss Circle. Miss Circle grabs Engel with her arm and slams him into the wall.

Miss Circle: “You really thought that you could intrude on my business and Interrupt my kill?”

Engel is thrown onto the floor.

Miss Circle: “If you interrupt me ever again, I’ll tear you limb from l*mb, and your grades WON’T save you.”

Chapter 1.5: Tuesday: Try Again

(Before School started)

*Miss Circle drives to school. Another day. Another chance at getting new victims. She enters the school. Miss Thavel and Miss Grace are the only ones who arrive before her. Well, I guess Mister Compass would be tied for arrival time. *

*As Miss Circle enters her classroom ... Miss grace is standing there. A new desk is here. Must have been put there to replace the old one she broke yesterday. *

Miss Grace: Circle. We need to discuss what happened yesterday.

Miss Circle: What? I killed Abbie because he failed. Isn’t that what I was supposed to do?

Miss Grace: The problem isn’t that you killed Abbie. Nor is it about Claire or Lana. It’s more about *She points towards the desk. * what you destroyed to get to them.

Miss Circle: I’m -

Miss Grace and Miss Circle: “allowed to do that!”

Miss Grace: Yes! You are. But! Only when necessary for getting to a student. This desk. The wall. Those were NOT necessary to destroy.

Miss Circle: oh!

Miss Grace: I’m cutting your pay to compensate.

Miss Circle: WHAT! You can’t do that.

*Miss Grace grabs Miss Circle’s collar. *

Miss Grace: Why not? This is MY school. YOU chose to work here. You AGREED to follow the rules. I’m PAYING you to be here. The fact that I don’t fire you is me being generous. I’ve BEEN generous for years. Overlooking your mistakes. Thavel’s mistakes. Bloomie’s mistakes. I’ve been turning a blind eye to all of them.

Miss Circle: ... Why do you think you can just talk to me that way?

Miss Grace: If you kill me ... the next person who takes up the role of principal won’t be as ... patient. You’ll probably be fired. I know you don’t want that.

Miss Circle: Why not? *Miss Circle grabs Miss Grace with her claw. * I could probably kill even more people if I was out of this school anyway.

*Miss Grace’s expression doesn’t change. *

Miss Grace: If that’s what you wanted, then you would’ve done so. There are so many things you could’ve done if you wanted to kill. So many things you could’ve done to make money. You’re not doing this for that stuff. You love teaching. Even more than killing. You’d NEVER be here otherwise.

Miss Grace: So. Get. BACK. TO. YOUR. CLASSROOM.

*Miss Circle lets go of Miss Grace. Miss Grace leaves the room. *

Chapter 2 Starts Here

Riley, Ruby, and Robby walk towards class.

Riley: ... and Oliver was so cool.

RUBY: Have you studied for Bloomie’s test yet?

Riley’s smile turns into a surprised look.

Riley: no!

RUBY: Then what were you taking notes on? *Riley doesn’t respond* Were you spending all your time writing about Oliver?

Riley: Yeah, I did!

Robby covers his face in disappointment.

RUBY: Okay, there’s still a little bit of time before next class. *Ruby’s screen changes from a face to various science questions and topics* Let’s just run through them quickly.

Robby couldn’t be more uninterested.

Robby (Whispering): Riley. You always do this. Hey Skell, you’re --- Skell?

Skell isn’t there.

Skell stayed behind to see what would happen to Engel. Better to be the first to know if he bites the dust.

Miss Circle exits the room to go to the teacher’s lounge. Engel exits right after, bruises covering his arms.

Skell: Why’d you even bother?

Engel: What?

Engel manages to push himself up.

Skell: You tried to save Claire and look where it got you. Damaged eye. A pissed off teacher. All of that, and your friend still ended up as mincemeat. Should’ve just done nothing. Would’ve saved your eye.

Engel: I’d do it all over again. Even if I failed, I could still say that I tried to save someone. Besides, aren’t you helping me?

Skell: Not doing it to help you. Just needed an excuse to talk. I won’t have conversations like this for long.

Skell and Engel leave, with Engel walking as fast as they can to get to Miss Bloomie’s class while Skell unfolds his wings and flies there.

*A few minutes later. *

Engel enters the classroom door right before the bell rings. Miss Bloomie’s expression worsens. That could’ve been an easy excuse to get a kill.

Miss Bloomie: Engel. Desk. NOW! *Engel rushes to his desks* Class! *The rest of the class stops their conversation and focuses on Miss Bloomie. * Today, you’ll be taking a test.

Miss Bloomie hands the tests out to the class. Each of them takes their time, and before the bell rings, Miss Bloomie takes the tests up to grade them.

Miss Bloomie: You all passed. *Upon saying the last word, she flips a test with Riley’s name on it. A 75. Riley’s sinister expression folds for a brief moment before returning to normal. * Riley only barely passed.

The bell rings and the students go to their next class, Miss Sasha’s class.

Goat Girl: But ... I don’t wanna leave.

Miss Sasha: I know you’re scared but --- Oh, my next class is here. It’ll be okay.

The Goat girl leaves, and the rest of the students enter Miss Sasha’s class.

Kevin and Cubbie are drawing according to Miss Sasha’s instruction.

Cubbie (Written on a piece of paper): You said you had some surprise for me.

Kevin (Written on paper): I’m planning on moving to another school. Much higher success rates if you cut out the dead. I think you should go too.

Cubbie (Written on paper): I can’t.

Kevin (Written on paper): Why not?

Cubbie (Written on paper): We just leave our friends here. We’re the smartest people in the school. We could help them study. We could save them.

Kevin (Written on paper): You assume that grades will keep them safe? It’s just an excuse the teacher’s use. Lana didn’t even fail and look what happened to her.

Cubbie (Written on paper): I understand, but I’m not leaving.

Kevin (Written on paper): Unfortunate. You’ll keep in contact, right?

Cubbie nods his head toward Kevin.

The bell rings and they walk towards their next class, Miss Emily’s.

Miss Sasha enters Miss Grace’s room.

Miss Grace: Oh, hello Sasha. What are you doing here?

Miss Sasha: It’s about one of the kindergarteners. One of them has something going on. They always want to stay near me. They don’t like talking about their parents. They won’t interact with the other kids. I’m not sure what to do.

Miss Grace: Most of the kid’s parents don’t have a good track record. Which one are you talking about?

Miss Sasha: The goat girl? Lilly?

Miss Grace searches through her desk until she finds a file.

Name: Lilly (No last name given)

Age: 6

Notes: Has arrived at school with various bruises. Afraid of nearly everything. Parents are highly uncooperative.

Miss Grace: I need some time to think on this. I’ll call you when I reach a decision.

Miss Sasha: Thank you.

Miss Sasha leaves the room.